il mio viaggio in italia 2006 : empoli with irene, francesco, & sara

Friday morning, I took the vaporetto to the train station and then the train to Empoli. So far, no big excitement on the trains this year except for a small outburst by this older man on the eurostar train (a very comfortable train) who started yelling at another man sitting near him who was constantly talking on his cell phone. Everyone was pretty shocked by this event and quietly discussed what had happened. After his outburst, every time a cell phone rang everyone held their breath not knowing if he would explode again. He huffed and puffed a little but other than that, he stayed calm. My train arrived in Florence 10 minutes late, and luckily my next train to Empoli also left 10 minutes late and so I made the connection without any difficulty.

Francesco's mother was waiting for me at the train station. It is wonderful to see everyone again. Sara is now 2 and it talking quite a bit. She calls me "Susanna" and is so cute! At first when I would speak with my strange accent, she would look at me with a funny look, but now seems to understand some of what I am saying. Friday evening we had a very delicious meal at Francesco's parents' house. Marusca made my favorite - ravioli with burro and salve and also some eggplant, tomato, & mozzarella cheese goodies and a zucchine vegetable dish. For dessert, we had fruit and then little yogurt fruit frozen treats.

Saturday morning, I had a nice relaxing breakfast with Marusca. After breakfast, Irene, Francesco, Sara, and I went to the center to walk around and do some shopping.

(Collegiate Church of S. Andrea in Piazza Farinata degli Uberti)

We went to the fish market, to the fruit and vegetable stand, to the bread store, and a few other shops. The weather was very HOT with no air moving at all. After a delicious pasta lunch, everyone took an afternoon nap.

We went to the train station later on in the day so that I could buy my next train ticket and we also stopped at a park. When we returned home, Irene began to cook a delicious dinner of seafood with pasta and also some shish-ka-bobs with tuna, bread, tomatoes, and zucchini. Giacomo & Francesca (friends who I met last summer who later went to Boston) came for dinner. We had a great time eating and chatting and after dinner, they showed me thier pictures of thier trip to Boston. We also watched some of the soccer match of the evening...soccer is on every night here for the world cup.

Today (Sunday), I went with Irene & Francesco to watch them vote. Voting is very similar, but also somewhat different...too much to explain right now but very interesting to see. We went to Irene's parents' house for a delicious lunch of pesto pasta, a vegetable dish, a seafood dish, fruit salad and ice cream (which I was too full to have). It is always so nice to be able to spend time with both of their families when I come to Empoli.

After lunch, I spent some time on Francesco's computer updating my blog, checking in on the red sox, and checking mail. After adding to my blog on the computer, Francesco, Irene, and I watched "Fever Pitch" while Sara was napping. When Sara woke up, we went for a walk to a different park.

For dinner, we went with Francesco's parents to this wonderful place called Ristorante Pizzeria Lo Spigo in Montelupo Fiorentino. The restaurant was located above the town up on a hill with amazing views of the valley below. The restaurant was very crowded and the food was excellent. What a wonderful way to end my weekend with my dear friends in Empoli.